Failures of Communication
by DoctorH
Summary: A Murdoch Mysteries teleplay, like an actual episode. Murdoch has to find out who hired a hit man, when even the killer himself doesn't know. Meanwhile, Ogden tries to avoid being humiliated and having her reputation publicly ruined by a doctor from the United States. As always, solutions and resolutions are included in the story... along with a few fun twists.
1. Act I

ACT I

(FADE IN. EXT. OF THE NOLAN HOME, early evening after sundown. Although there is little light to see the home clearly, the home is obviously large and luxurious. Most of the lights of the house are off or dim, but one window is brightly lit. The camera slowly zooms to that window. DISSOLVE TO: A STUDY in the Nolan home. The room is well-lit. There is a desk, along with at least one chair, several bookcases, several lamps, and several cabinets. The door to the study is open, leading to a dark hallway. Thaddeus NOLAN, a man of about sixty years, sits on the chair next to the desk. There are papers on the desk in front of him. NOLAN is active, taking papers from his desk and putting them in particular places, such as near a corner of the desk or a neat pile on the floor or in a cabinet, as if putting them in some sort of order. NOLAN hums to himself. NOLAN is so engrossed in what he is doing that he does not notice Leo DOWD entering the study stealthily. DOWD, who is quite tall and muscular, carries a length of metal pipe. DOWD raises the pipe to strike. NOLAN is still engrossed in sorting papers. DOWD strikes, and there are the sounds (SFX) of a person being hit, the chair falling, things hitting the floor, and NOLAN's body falling to the floor. DOWD strikes multiple times. When he is satisfied that NOLAN is dead, DOWD calmly turns and leaves. As DOWD leaves, his foot leaves a partial bloody footprint on the floor, which he does not notice. CUT TO: EXT. NOLAN HOUSE, night. The study lights are still on. The shadow of DOWD, still carrying the pipe murder weapon, walks away from the house. As the shadow passes some bushes, the pipe gets tossed into the bushes. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. NOLAN HOUSE, next morning. MURDOCH arrives at the house and walks up to the front door. A FIRST CONSTABLE by the front door admits MURDOCH. HIGGINS and a SECOND CONSTABLE are searching the grounds, but not the bushes. CUT TO: INT. NOLAN HOUSE. MURDOCH climbs the stairs to the second floor. Standing in the hallway outside the study are CRABTREE and Mrs. LEARY, a woman perhaps in her early forties, dressed as a cleaner.)

CRABTREE  
(seeing MURDOCH) Ah, sir! (to LEARY) This is Detective William Murdoch, one of the finest detectives in all of Toronto.

MURDOCH  
What have you, Constable?

CRABTREE  
The owner of this house is Mr. Thaddeus Samuel Nolan. (indicating LEARY) Mrs. Leary here is his cleaning woman. She arrived at the house at about nine o'clock this morning to begin her work, and discovered the body as you see it. She believes it to be the body of Mr. Nolan. She has touched nothing, but notified the Constabulary, after recovering from the initial shock of the discovery, sir. (to LEARY) Is that right, ma'am?

LEARY  
Yes.

(MURDOCH nods, then peeks into the study. He sees the partial footprint first, then he sees the body, face down in a bloody pool, the back of the head bloody, blood spattered around, the chair and desk and papers in disarray. MURDOCH crosses himself, the turns to LEARY.)

MURDOCH  
Mrs. Leary, you did the right thing, not touching anything in the room and notifying the Constabulary. May I ask why you believe the victim to be Mr. Nolan? You didn't enter the room and turn him to look at his face, did you?

LEARY  
No, sir. I never even went in the study. I know it's Mr. Nolan because this is his house, and he's always here to greet me when I arrive. And those clothes are Mr. Nolan's clothes. And, well, even though I can't see his face, it looks like Mr. Nolan.

(MURDOCH smiles understandingly.)

MURDOCH  
Thank you, Mrs. Leary. (to CRABTREE) George, please make certain Mrs. Leary gives a complete statement.

CRABTREE  
Yes, sir.

MURDOCH  
(to CRABTREE quietly) And put everyone on alert to be on the lookout for, and arrest, Leo Dowd and Philip Baxendale.

CRABTREE  
(to MURDOCH) I know exactly who you mean, sir. (to LEARY) If you will come with me, ma'am?

(CRABTREE and LEARY leave as HIGGINS approaches. MURDOCH surveys the crime scene.)

HIGGINS  
Pardon me, Detective Murdoch?

MURDOCH  
Yes, Constable?

HIGGINS  
We may have found a weapon.

MURDOCH  
A length of metal pipe?

HIGGINS  
Yes.

MURDOCH  
(to himself) Leo Dowd.

(A PHOTOGRAPHER arrives and MURDOCH steps out of his way. CUT TO: EXT. STATION HOUSE NUMBER FOUR, same morning. CUT TO: INT. STATION HOUSE NUMBER FOUR, Brackenreid's office. BRACKENREID sits, MURDOCH stands. BRACKENREID is smoldering with anger.)

BRACKENREID  
There's little doubt as to who swung that pipe.

BRACKENREID and MURDOCH  
(in unison) Leo Dowd.

BRACKENREID  
Right! The back of a defenseless man's head bashed in, in his own home! A two-foot-long piece of bloody metal pipe found outside the house in the bushes! (disgusted) It's almost like Dowd's signature!

MURDOCH  
I agree. I have put out the word that Leo Dowd must be arrested, and I have supplied the constables with a description of the man. I have also asked constables to bring in his associate, Philip Baxendale.

(MURDOCH has more to say, but BRACKENREID interrupts.)

BRACKENREID  
I thought we were rid of Dowd! Didn't we get confirmation that he'd fled Canada and was living in the United States?

MURDOCH  
We thought we did. After the murder of the two bankers a few years ago, Leo Dowd escaped before we could find him and arrest him. There were said to be sightings of him in Chicago.

BRACKENREID  
Wherever he was, someone convinced him to come back to Canada. Baxendale, you think?

MURDOCH  
Very likely. Before Mr. Dowd fled Canada, Mr. Baxendale was the intermediary agent for Mr. Dowd: according to some witnesses, anyone that wanted to hire Mr. Dowd had to go through Mr. Baxendale.

BRACKENREID  
We know that when Dowd left Canada, Baxendale remained in Toronto; but there wasn't enough evidence to charge Baxendale as an aider and abetter of the banker murders. (harrumphing) So what happened here? Someone in Toronto was looking to hire a killer, someone to murder Thaddeus Nolan. Whoever wanted Nolan to be dead got in contact with Baxendale, and Baxendale got in contact with Dowd. Dowd came here, and bashed Nolan's head in.

MURDOCH  
That is certainly a reasonable possibility. There must have been some sort of arrangements for payment. If I can trace any money paid to Mr. Dowd, I might be able to determine who hired him.

BRACKENREID  
And whoever hired Dowd is just as criminally culpable!

(There is a hubbub as three CONSTABLES, including HIGGINS, muscle a struggling DOWD into the Station House. DOWD is manacled and bloody.)

HIGGINS  
We caught Dowd, sir! I spotted him hiding in the back of a delivery wagon on its way to Windsor! I summoned some help, and the three of us made the arrest!

BRACKENREID  
Nice work, lads. Lock him up, then get the word out that we've caught our man.

MURDOCH  
It appears some force was needed to bring him in.

HIGGINS  
He resisted arrest and tried to escape, which accounts for the state he is in, sir.

BRACKENREID  
(with no sympathy) Too bad for him. Be sure to get his finger marks! And don't forget to get his shoes!

(The CONSTABLES take DOWD away.)

BRACKENREID  
So: a murder is committed in Toronto in the manner favoured by one Leo Dowd. The same Leo Dowd, who was thought to be outside Canada, is captured hours later in Toronto, in the vicinity of that murder. He is captured while hiding, trying to stow away in a delivery wagon. If one of his shoes matches the footprint at the scene, and if his finger marks match those on the weapon, I'd say, Murdoch, there is an excellent chance that we've caught our killer!

MURDOCH  
I agree, sir. We then would have to determine who hired him.

(FADE OUT.)


	2. Act II

(FADE IN. ESTABLISHING SHOT OF THE EXT. OF THE MORGUE, mid-day of the same day. CUT TO: INT. OF THE MORGUE. OGDEN is reviewing a typed report and is noticeably bothered. MURDOCH enters and comes up to OGDEN.)

MURDOCH  
Julia?

(OGDEN is startled, and looks up from the report.)

OGDEN  
Oh! William!

MURDOCH  
I just wanted to check with you about the Nolan matter.

OGDEN  
(gathering herself) Of course. Well. His identity has been confirmed as that of Thaddeus Samuel Nolan. He was positively identified by his oldest son, Martin, and by his youngest son, Frederick.

MURDOCH  
I see.

OGDEN  
Mr. Nolan was age 60, widowed, five children, eight grandchildren. He was independently wealthy and lived alone, according to his sons. He died from severe trauma to the skull, caused by several blows from a solid, heavy object.

MURDOCH  
Could that trauma have been caused by being struck by a length of metal pipe?

OGDEN  
(absently) Yes. The wounds are completely consistent with having been delivered by the pipe you recovered. Time of death, about nine o'clock last night.

MURDOCH  
Have you determined anything about the killer by the orientations of the blows, such as the killer's height?

OGDEN  
(absently) No. Not yet. As part of my examination, however, I did find some cancerous growths in Mr. Nolan's abdomen. They did not seem to be advanced enough to immediately endanger his health, but they would have caused him some serious difficulty in a matter of months, had he lived.

MURDOCH  
Do you think Mr. Nolan knew about those growths? Might he have thought he was dying?

OGDEN  
(absently) Perhaps, perhaps not, I don't know.

(MURDOCH looks at OGDEN, who seems reluctant to return his gaze.)

MURDOCH  
Julia, what's wrong?

ODGEN  
(exasperated) Oh, William! (after a moment) Do you remember the Pritchard case from about seven months ago? Avery Pritchard had been shot in the chest and killed?

MURDOCH  
Vaguely. It wasn't one of my cases. A detective from Station House Three did the work on it, as I recall.

OGDEN  
Yes. I conducted the autopsy. Because Pritchard's body was found with the firearm in his own hand, there was some question as to whether Pritchard shot himself in the chest, or whether someone else shot him. I determined that the cause of death was homicide, not suicide, and not an accidental self-shooting.

MURDOCH  
Yes, I remember.

OGDEN  
A man named Taylor was arrested for the killing. He is going on trial in about a month. And his defense is going to be—

(ODGEN stops.)

MURDOCH  
His defense is going to be what?

ODGEN  
(somewhat upset) His defense is that I bungled the autopsy. His defense is that Pritchard shot himself, and that I was too stupid to realize it!

MURDOCH  
(comforting) Well, that ought to be nothing to worry about! Julia, you are thorough and professional. I know it, and you know it. You can testify to what you did, and what you saw. You can testify to the care you took, all of the circumstances you looked at, and all the reasons you reached the conclusion that you did. Don't be afraid of the defendant's— Taylor's— lawyer. He almost certainly doesn't know as much about the case as you do.

OGDEN  
(still upset) I'm not worried about the lawyer. I'm worried about—

(OGDEN stops again.)

MURDOCH  
What?

OGDEN  
Dr. Stokes.

MURDOCH  
Who?

OGDEN  
Dr. Douglas Stokes, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

MURDOCH  
I— I don't believe I am familiar with the man.

OGDEN  
He is one of the most respected authorities on medical examinations in criminal cases. And I have been told by counsel for the Crown that he will testify at the trial in favour of Taylor. (indicating the report) And this almost certainly this means that he is going to be highly critical of my work!

MURDOCH  
But Julia! You have given evidence in criminal cases before, in which your work was challenged, and you handled yourself well. Surely this case is no different.

OGDEN  
But it is different! Don't you see, William? Once Dr. Stokes finishes testifying to all of his credentials, everyone will think he knows what he's talking about, and that I do not. And I have also heard that Dr. Stokes is especially critical of women who practice medicine.

MURDOCH  
But—

OGDEN  
After his testimony, my reputation will be ruined!

MURDOCH  
(trying to reassure) No, no—

OGDEN  
And with credentials like his, he could get away with it. (drawing a breath and calming down a bit) Counsel for the Crown is afraid, with reason, that I am going to come off looking like a fool; and so counsel for the Crown wants to meet with me later this afternoon. What I need to do before we meet is to review my reports in detail, and see whether I can spot any mistakes before Dr. Stokes points them out.

MURDOCH  
I understand. (gently) As for the Nolan case—

OGDEN  
I've completed my post-mortem on Mr. Nolan, I've made my notes. I will be preparing a formal report probably tomorrow.

(MURDOCH wishes he could stay and talk to OGDEN, but he has other things to do.)

MURDOCH  
All right. As you may have heard, we believe that we have caught the man who murdered Mr. Nolan. He was a man known to commit murder for hire, and it is a fair wager that, if he killed Mr. Nolan, he did so at the behest of someone else. I need to question the man who was arrested, to see whether I can find out who hired him.

OGDEN  
(blankly) Good luck.

MURDOCH  
I wish I could talk with you more, Julia, (in earnest) but before I go, I want you to know: There is no person on Earth in whom I have more confidence than you. That is not just idle talk from a husband to his wife. It is an expression of deepest trust and respect from a Toronto police detective to a Toronto coroner. You should believe in yourself, just as I believe in you.

(OGDEN is moved by this vote of confidence; she embraces MURDOCH. CUT TO: EXT. STATION HOUSE NUMBER FOUR, early afternoon, same day. CUT TO: INT. STATION HOUSE NUMBER FOUR, Interview Room. DOWD is in the chair, manacled, still bloody and bruised, watched over by two CONSTABLES armed with truncheons. MURDOCH and BRACKENREID sit opposite.)

MURDOCH  
Mr. Dowd, we understood you had moved to the United States. What brings you back to Toronto?

(DOWD says nothing.)

MURDOCH  
Why were you carrying papers that identified you by the name of "Cooper," Mr. Dowd?

(DOWD says nothing.)

MURDOCH  
A Mr. Thaddeus Nolan was murdered last night in Toronto at about 9:00. Where were you last night at 9:00, Mr. Dowd?

(DOWD says nothing.)

MURDOCH  
Do you have any explanation, Mr. Dowd, as to how one of your shoes could have made a footprint on the floor of Mr. Nolan's home, in Mr. Nolan's blood?

(DOWD says nothing.)

MURDOCH  
Do you have any explanation, Mr. Dowd, as to how your finger marks happened to be on the piece of metal pipe that was the instrument of Mr. Nolan's death?

(DOWD says nothing. BRACKENREID leans toward DOWD.)

BRACKENREID  
All right, let's get to the point. You killed Nolan. Who paid you to do it?

(DOWD says nothing. BRACKENREID gets a little closer to DOWD.)

BRACKENREID  
You'd better talk. It's the only way to save your neck.

(DOWD says nothing. BRACKENREID gets a little closer to DOWD)

BRACKENREID  
I'm not certain that you appreciate your situation. We've got enough evidence to hang you for the murder of Nolan. If you don't talk to us, that is exactly what is going to happen. You'll hang. I guarantee it.

(DOWD says nothing.)

BRACKENREID  
Now maybe, just maybe, if you talk to us, we might put a word in for you, and you'll escape the noose. You'll spend the rest of your life behind bars, but you'll live. There are some things we want to know. Let's start with this: two bankers were murdered in their homes near here in 1903, their heads were caved in by a bloke swinging a piece of metal pipe. A year or so before that, there was government rail inspector killed in his home by a man who bashed his head with a piece of lead pipe. And a few months before that, a man who worked as a clothing distributor was found dead in his home from the same type of attack. We have a great deal of evidence as to who committed those crimes, but he was never brought to justice.

MURDOCH  
At least two of those cases remain open, Mr. Dowd. If you talk to us, you could close them. You might be able to assist us in closing some other cases as well.

(DOWD says nothing.)

BRACKENREID  
If you don't help us, well, then you might have three murder charges to deal with, not just one: Nolan, the two bankers, and we might even be able to prove you killed that rail inspector. You might get lucky and convince a jury to acquit you of one of those charges, but could you win against all of those murder charges? Not a chance.

MURDOCH  
You can help us, Mr. Dowd. If you help us, we might be able to help you. Certainly you understand that your situation is already as bad as it can get. Certainly you understand there is no good reason NOT to talk to us.

(DOWD says nothing, but he looks like he's softening. MURDOCH tries a different approach.)

MURDOCH  
Our constables tell us that you had very little money on your person when you were caught. This suggests to me that whoever hired you to kill Mr. Nolan never paid you fully for what you did. Whoever it was double-crossed you, didn't they?

(DOWD nods but says nothing; he seems to be considering breaking his silence.)

MURDOCH  
Why would you protect a person who double-crossed you?

(DOWD looks like he is going to speak, but says nothing.)

MURDOCH  
(prompting) Yes?

DOWD  
I can't help you. I don't want to get hung, but I don't know who is was that double-crossed me.

BRACKENREID  
You leave that to us. You tell us what you know, and we'll hunt down the bloke that hired you. He's just as guilty as you. And we'll make sure he pays the same as you.

DOWD  
Buckethead knows who the money man was.

MURDOCH  
Buckethead?

DOWD  
That's what I call Phil Baxendale. He keeps his ear to the ground, looks for opportunities, makes the arrangements, for which he takes ten percent of the price. Buckethead contacted me in Chicago, said he'd found a job for me in Toronto if I was interested.

MURDOCH  
What was the price?

DOWD  
(reluctant to say at first) Ten thousand dollars. Buckethead was to get one thousand of that. Buckethead made arrangements for payment, part before the job was done, part after. The part before was three thousand, but Buckethead took his one thousand out of that. Buckethead also instructed the money man how to go about getting me the seven thousand, after the job was done. I never met the money man. (getting angry) But the money man was supposed to leave payment for me once the job was done, and he didn't, the bastard! If your boys hadn't caught me, I'd be going after the money man myself in the near future! Nobody gets away with stiffing me!

MURDOCH  
Am I right that you planned to find out the identity of the "money man" through Mr. Baxendale?

DOWD  
Yeah. After I got out of Toronto, I was going to contact Buckethead and find out who the chiseling bastard was, then figure out a time to pay him a visit and, uh, register my displeasure with his business practices.

MURDOCH  
(slowly) I think I understand what you mean. Tell us more. When did Mr. Baxendale contact you about this "job?"

DOWD  
Third of the month. Said there was a job in Toronto, guy who'd pay ten thousand. I needed the money, so said I'd do it. Buckethead told me the identity of the man who the subject of the job. I told Buckethead that I could be in Toronto by the ninth. Buckethead said that would be perfect. Turned out I got stuck in Windsor for a day, so I got into Toronto one day later than I planned.

MURDOCH  
Did "Buckethead" arrange for the Cooper identification papers to be sent to you?

DOWD  
No, I already had those. Cooper was one of the names we'd use. Buckethead did arrange for the first payment and for a deposit box key to be sent to me at an inn in Windsor.

(MURDOCH and BRACKENREID exchange nods, in recognition that DOWD seems to be cooperating. CUT TO: EXT. GOVERNMENT BUILDING, later in the afternoon of the same day. CUT TO: INT. GOVERNMENT BUILDING, Landry's office. Gordon LANDRY is a government prosecutor. His office includes a desk and chairs and many law books. On the desk are the usual things, an open book, a lamp, a note pad, a telephone. LANDRY, a middle-aged man, sits behind his desk. Across from LANDRY in one of the chairs sits Carlton SCHULTZ, another middle-aged man. Next to SCHULTZ is an empty chair. The door to the office, which had been shut, opens, and a RECEPTIONIST enters, followed by OGDEN. LANDRY and SCHULTZ rise.)

RECEPTIONIST  
Dr. Ogden.

(LANDRY comes from behind his desk to greet OGDEN)

LANDRY  
(to RECEPTIONIST) Thank you, Sal. (to OGDEN) Nice to see you again, Dr. Ogden. Thank you for taking the time to come here. Allow me to introduce Carlton Schultz, a friend of mine from the United States.

SCHULTZ  
Doctor.

OGDEN  
Hello.

LANDRY  
Won't you have a seat?

OGDEN  
Thank you.

(Everyone sits.)

LANDRY  
As you know, Jeremy Taylor is to go to trial next month for the murder of Avery Pritchard. Also, as you know, Taylor's father is quite wealthy, and intends to spare no expense to keep his son's head out of the noose. We have reason to believe that Taylor's defense will be that he did not shoot Pritchard, but rather, that Pritchard shot himself. Apart from the defendant Taylor, there were no witnesses to the event, who could testify who shot Pritchard. The principal piece of evidence that Taylor fired the weapon comes from you, Dr. Ogden. Your report concludes that Pritchard was shot by someone standing at least three feet away, and that he could not have shot himself.

OGDEN  
That is right. There is more to it than that, but distance from the firearm to the body was one of the important factors that led me to my conclusion.

LANDRY  
The defendant's father has retained the services of Dr. Douglas Stokes, who we expect will testify that your report is full of errors. I believe you have heard of Dr. Stokes?

OGDEN  
Yes, I have heard of him. May I ask in what way my report is "full of errors?"

LANDRY  
We don't know exactly what Dr. Stokes is going to say you did wrong.

OGDEN  
Well, if Dr. Stokes doesn't think my conclusions are accurate, how does he explain how the victim received the wounds that he did? How does he explain the way in which Mr. Pritchard could possibly have shot himself, and been wounded in that manner?

LANDRY  
Dr. Stokes doesn't have to explain anything. In a criminal case, the defendant does not have the burden of proof. So Dr. Stokes can ridicule your work at length, but he is under no obligation to offer an alternative way by which the shooting could have happened.

OGDEN  
You mean, he is going to try to criticize my work and ruin my reputation? He is going to devote himself to saying that I was wrong, and not offer any evidence as to what actually happened? That's Taylor's defense?

SCHULTZ  
Very likely.

LANDRY  
I should explain, Doctor, that Carl is very familiar with the tactics used by Dr. Stokes. I have asked him for his advice.

SCHULTZ  
Dr. Ogden: Douglas Stokes is a recognized authority on medical examinations. He calls himself a "medical detective." He is very good at what he does, and he knows it.

OGDEN  
I know of his reputation.

SCHULTZ  
But you may not know of how he handles himself at trial. I have observed him as a witness for the defense in three previous murder trials in the United States. In every case, his tactics were the same. He basically begins by reciting his credentials, which are very lengthy.

OGDEN  
Yes, I know he is very well qualified.

SCHULTZ  
Then he explains that he cannot possibly do the medical examination anew, because of the passage of time. He might testify, for example, that the victim's body has been in the ground too long, so no examination by him would do any good.

OGDEN  
In many cases, that is true.

SCHULTZ  
And then he criticizes the medical examination that had been done.

LANDRY  
He criticizes at great length.

SCHULTZ  
Yes. At excruciating length. Often what he does is say that such-and-such a test ought to have been done, but the report does not say that such a test was done, or if the test was done, what the results were.

LANDRY  
He makes it look like the coroner either overlooked things or covered up evidence favourable to the defendant.

SCHULTZ  
Another thing he does is toss out possibilities: this could have happened, that could have happened. He identifies scenarios that he thinks should have been investigated, but that either were not investigated— indicating carelessness by the coroner— or that were investigated but were omitted from the report— indicating that the coroner may be suppressing evidence in the defendant's favour.

LANDRY  
Carl tells me that Dr. Stokes frequently testifies that the lack of candor on the part of coroners is evidence of the coroners hiding something.

(OGDEN looks ill but tries to keep her professional demeanor.)

OGDEN  
I take it these tactics have had the desired results.

SCHULTZ  
They have. In the three cases I observed tried in the United States, the jury found the defendant not guilty. And I have it on good authority that there are at least half a dozen other cases in which Dr. Stokes's testimony was instrumental in returning a verdict of not guilty, or guilty of a much-reduced charge.

LANDRY  
That is why we expect those tactics to be used again here.

SCHULTZ  
With one additional tactic. I believe Dr. Stokes is going to be very harsh toward you because you are a woman. Although he has not given testimony that is critical of any female physicians, he has publicly opposed the admission of women to medical schools, on the grounds that they are taking away opportunities from men who are more qualified and who will devote themselves to the practice of medicine instead of raising a family.

OGDEN  
I understand.

LANDRY  
Doctor, you have testified wonderfully in many trials in which I have advocated for the Crown. You have done well when your conclusions have been called into question on the witness stand. I know you can handle yourself. (sighing) But this is different. I believe you are going to be— under heavy fire. I wanted you to know that.

OGDEN  
(takes a breath) All I can tell you is this: the facts are what they are. My report shows what I did, what opinions I formed, and how I reached them. Dr. Stokes may have more credentials than I do, but his credentials don't decide the facts. My sex does not decide the facts. Naked speculation about what might or might not have been does not decide the facts.

LANDRY  
(nodding) All true. (gravely) And my hope is that the judge will not allow any irrelevant or scandalous testimony. But Dr. Ogden, I must warn you that I expect the judge will give Taylor's lawyer considerable licence to question your credentials. And to criticize your competence. And this testimony may be very— hurtful.

(OGDEN is concerned.)

LANDRY  
It will be difficult for you. Every belittling or humiliating or insulting thing Dr. Stokes says about you will probably be printed in the newspapers. So, what I need to know is—

(LANDRY and SCHULTZ lean forward.)

LANDRY  
Do you think you will be able to take it?

(OGDEN mulls her answer.)

LANDRY  
I'll try to protect you as well as I can. Also, I have retained Dr. Gilmore from Ottawa as a medical witness; he has reviewed your report and finds nothing wrong with it, and Dr. Gilmore ought to be able to rebut some of Dr. Stokes's testimony. But that will not change the fact that you may face great emotional and professional difficulty.

OGDEN  
I— (she stops)

SCHULTZ  
What must NOT be allowed to happen, Dr. Ogden, and (indicating LANDRY) I'm certain Gordon would agree, is that you MUST NOT lose control of your emotions. You must maintain control of yourself at all times, not only while testifying but also while going about your daily business.

OGDEN  
Are you suggesting that I might not be able to keep my feelings in check because I am a woman?

SCHULTZ  
(firmly) No, I am not. I am saying that you may find it exceedingly difficult to keep your feelings in check because you are a human being. In one of the trials I observed in one of the southern United States, Dr. Stokes gave testimony that was extraordinarily critical of the coroner. When the coroner learned about the humiliating things Dr. Stokes had said on the stand, the coroner suffered a mental collapse. The prosecutor did not dare recall the coroner to the stand for rebuttal of Dr. Stokes, out of fear that the coroner would not be able to control himself and would begin weeping.

(OGDEN is appalled.)

SCHULTZ  
That coroner was not a woman. He was a fifty-three-year old man; but he was a human being who was subjected to harsh criticism in the public eye. He felt deeply humiliated.

LANDRY  
If I take Taylor to trial, I need to know from you, Dr. Ogden, that no matter how tough it gets for you, that you will offer testimony that is straight and that you will not let Dr. Stokes get the better of you.

(OGDEN takes a moment, then sets her jaw.)

OGDEN  
I am the coroner. It was my duty to investigate the cause of death of Mr. Pritchard. I carried out that duty. It was my duty to report that the cause of death was homicide because that is what the evidence showed. I carried out that duty as well. And it is my duty to testify to my conclusions, and the evidentiary bases for them, in court.

(OGDEN takes a breath. She imagines hearing MURDOCH's voice.)

MURDOCH (V.O.)  
You should believe in yourself, just as I believe in you.

OGDEN  
I will carry out that duty.

(FADE OUT.)


	3. Act III

(FADE IN. EXT. STATION HOUSE NUMBER FOUR, morning, the next day. CUT TO: INT. STATION HOUSE NUMBER FOUR. MURDOCH is in his office, wearing his coat. CRABTREE abruptly enters; he is emotionless.)

CRABTREE  
Sir! We believe we have found Mr. Dowd's associate, Mr. Baxendale.

MURDOCH  
Good news, George!

CRABTREE  
(grimly) Perhaps not, sir. The report is that he hanged himself.

MURDOCH  
Hanged himself?

CRABTREE  
Yes, sir. He may have taken note that his associate Dowd had been captured, and that constables were looking for him; and he may have decided to take his own life, rather than be arrested. Dr. Ogden is on her way to the scene right now.

(MURDOCH moves toward the door of his office and notices a group of five adults coming into the Station House, three men and two women. They will turn out to be the five children of the late Thaddeus Nolan: MARTIN, AMELIA, MICHAEL, FREDERICK, and RUTH. MARTIN speaks to the Desk Sergeant, who points them in the direction of MURDOCH.)

MURDOCH  
(to CRABTREE) I'll discuss this with you later, George.

(MURDOCH steps forward to meet those arriving, heading for MARTIN.)

MURDOCH  
Mr. Martin Nolan?

MARTIN  
Yes. Are you Detective Murdoch?

MURDOCH  
I am.

MARTIN  
These are my sisters, Ruth Fisher and Amelia Thomas, and my brothers, Mike and Fred Nolan.

(Greetings exchanged. MICHAEL never says a word.)

MURDOCH  
(to MARTIN) Perhaps I wasn't clear in my message yesterday, Mr. Nolan. I wanted to speak only to you at first.

MARTIN  
You were clear. But we all discussed it, and we feel we are all in this together. We want you to find our father's killer, and we all wanted to give you as much assistance as we could.

FREDERICK  
Is that all right?

AMELIA  
Marty said you wanted to talk to us one at a time, but that is quite inconvenient for some of us. We have arrangements to make for father's funeral and winding up his affairs. We all have this morning available, but we have other appointments we must keep.

RUTH  
And Mike and I do not live in Toronto. We cannot simply come to the Constabulary at other times.

MURDOCH  
Of course. I understand. We will meet in the Interview Room, over here. I will have extra chairs brought in. But first, allow me to express my condolences to you for the loss of your father.

MARTIN, AMELIA, FREDERICK, RUTH  
Thank you.

(CUT TO: INTERVIEW ROOM, minutes later. MARTIN, AMELIA, MICHAEL, FREDERICK, and RUTH are seated around the table. MURDOCH stands so that he can address them all.)

MURDOCH  
I can tell you that we arrested a man that we believe killed your father. He has confessed, and his confession seems to be supported by the evidence.

(MARTIN, AMELIA, MICHAEL, FREDERICK, and RUTH say nothing, but begin looking at one another. AMELIA begins to cry.)

MURDOCH  
But I'm afraid that this will not close the case. The man who killed your father was a hired killer, but he does not know who hired him; so I must investigate who may have hired him.

(MARTIN, AMELIA, MICHAEL, FREDERICK, and RUTH look at one another again; they are all upset.)

MURDOCH  
So I must ask all of you: did your father have any enemies? Anyone who might have wanted him dead?

(Silence.)

MARTIN  
You mean, someone with whom he'd had a fight?

MURDOCH  
That would be of interest to me, yes.

RUTH  
Father had many fights with many people over the years. In his line of business, it was part of life.

MARTIN  
His business was in buying and selling land, mostly. It can be a very competitive business. Hostile.

FREDERICK  
"Cut-throat" is the word father sometimes used to describe it.

RUTH  
(nodding) Yes. "Dog eat dog," he also said.

MURDOCH  
So there may have been some people who were unhappy with your father's business tactics?

(General agreement.)

MURDOCH  
Who might some of those people be?

MARTIN and RUTH  
I don't know.

RUTH  
Father's solicitor would know.

AMELIA  
It would have to be someone who held a grudge.

MURDOCH  
Why?

AMELIA  
Father got out of the business of buying and selling land about three years ago, wasn't it?

MARTIN  
About three-and-a-half years ago. He retired. None of us wanted to carry on in that business, so it just ended.

AMELIA  
So if someone had a grudge, whoever it was must have carried that grudge for over three-and-a-half years.

MURDOCH  
I see.

FREDERICK  
(sourly) I can tell you someone who had a motive.

MURDOCH  
Oh? Who?

FREDERICK  
I had one.

MARTIN  
Forget it, Fred.

FREDERICK  
No, I want to tell the detective! If he investigates, he'll find out about it anyway, and I don't want to be accused of hiding anything! There was a time, about two weeks ago, when I threatened to kill my father.

MURDOCH  
Tell me about that.

FREDERICK  
I was caught in the act of committing acts of property damage. I did not know what I was doing, I was celebrating my birthday, and I was quite intoxicated at the time. Father was very angry at me. He said he was going to write me out of his will. As my older brother and sister could tell you, I was extremely upset when he said that, and I threatened my father's life. I said, "You disinherit me, and I'll kill you!"

AMELIA  
We knew you didn't mean it, Fred.

MURDOCH  
When did the events you described occur?

FREDERICK  
We had words on third of this month, the day after my birthday.

MURDOCH  
Exactly fifteen days ago.

FREDERICK  
And Father was planning to visit his solicitor one week later on the tenth, after which, I would be disinherited, I thought.

MARTIN  
If I may speak in my brother's defence: Father and Fred were very angry with one another, and while in states of ill humour said some horrible things to one another. Father said he already had an appointment to see his solicitor in a week's time, and that he would use that opportunity to change his will and leave Fred nothing. And father did indeed visit his solicitor at the appointed time.

AMELIA  
Father did not change his will. As the lawyer explained it to Fred, and to Martin and to me, father had had a change of heart. Fred was not written out of the will.

FREDERICK  
This was a great relief to me. Had father carried through on his threat, I might not have been able to change his mind before he died. He had a cancer and knew he'd die soon.

MURDOCH  
(surprised) He KNEW he had a cancer?

AMELIA  
(sniffling) Yes, his doctor told him about a month ago. That's why father was going to see the solicitor, to be sure his affairs were in order.

MARTIN  
(sniffling) According to father, the doctor did not expect father to survive to see next year.

FREDERICK  
What I wanted to be clear about, Detective, is that any motive that I MAY have had— simply disappeared long before Father was murdered.

MURDOCH  
I see. I many wish to speak to your father's solicitor about the will, and possible enemies of your father, and some the other subjects you've mentioned. Can anyone tell me your father's solicitor's name?

RUTH  
Burke. Andrew Burke.

MURDOCH  
Do you know where Mr. Burke's office is?

MARTIN  
His office is above the National Building Savings and Loan, where father, Amelia, Fred and I do our banking. (sadly correcting himself) Where father used to do his banking.

(CUT TO: Brackenreid's office, a short time later. ODGEN is seated, BRACKENREID and MURDOCH are standing, though BRACKENREID occasionally leans on his desk.)

BRACKENREID  
Tell me about Baxendale, Doctor.

OGDEN  
By the time his body was found this morning, it was too late to save him. He died early this morning from asphyxiation, apparently from hanging himself. At this point, there is no indication of anyone else involved, and the death appears to be by suicide. This is just a preliminary opinion, of course.

BRACKENREID  
Of course.

(A moment of silence. MURDOCH decides to introduce a new topic of conversation.)

MURDOCH  
Julia, I think you ought to tell Inspector Brackenreid what you and I talked about yesterday.

OGDEN  
I'd rather not.

BRACKENREID  
That a snooty doctor from the United States is going to come up to Canada and tell us daft Canadians how to do our jobs, right? Good luck selling that to a jury box full of Canadians!

(OGDEN smiles in spite of herself.)

BRACKENREID  
(reassuring OGDEN) Gord Landry spoke to me last night. He told me what you're facing. We don't need to talk about it right now, Doctor. Just go about your work, and you'll be fine. You have my full confidence.

OGDEN  
Yes, of course. Thank you for your words of reassurance. I do wish I could stop myself from worrying, though.

BRACKENREID  
Let me ask you this: You've reviewed the report you wrote following the examination of— what's his name, Pritchard?

OGDEN  
Yes.

BRACKENREID  
How many mistakes did you find?

OGDEN  
Well, none.

BRACKENREID  
What conclusions did you feel you had to change, or call into question?

OGDEN  
None.

BRACKENREID  
(with great confidence) Right, then! You did your job.

OGDEN  
(with less confidence) Yes.

BRACKENREID  
Gord tells me he's bringing Dr. Gilmore from Ottawa to support you, and Gord says that Dr. Gilmore is one of the top men in Canada, and that he is going to testify that your work was perfectly competent. (suddenly gentler) Doctor Ogden, there is nothing I can say to you to stop you from worrying; but I can tell you that there is (emphasizing the next three words) no good reason to worry. All right?

OGDEN  
(smiling nervously) All right, Inspector.

(OGDEN smiles nervously. MURDOCH smiles and shoots a grateful look at BRACKENREID. CUT TO: TORONTO CITY STREET, daytime, same day. CUT TO: EXT. OF A FINANCIAL INSTITUTION, having a sign saying National Building Savings and Loan and a sign next to a staircase for offices on the second floor. CUT TO: INT. OFFICE BUILDING. Close-up of a door reading "Andrew Burke, Solicitor." CUT TO: Burke's office. BURKE is a forty-ish man, looking very lawyer-like. His office is larger that Landry's office, but includes many of the same items: books, desk, filing cabinets, etc. MURDOCH sits in front of the desk, and BURKE sits behind the desk.)

BURKE  
I met with the Nolan family— just Thad's five children, of course, none of the spouses or grandchildren— about an hour ago. This was just a preliminary meeting, because I still have to verify some of the assets of the estate. The estate is, well, rather large. Thad's children have all authorized me to speak with you. The Nolan children and I will be meeting again after Thad's funeral.

MURDOCH  
At this preliminary meeting, did you tell them anything about Mr. Nolan's will?

BURKE  
Yes, I did. I told them that the will their father signed two years ago was still in effect, which they already knew; and that there had been two codicils executed eight months ago that ought not to concern them too much.

MURDOCH  
Codicils being amendments to the will?

BURKE  
Yes. Both codicils pertained to canceling bequests to certain charities or institutions; canceling the bequests would mean that the corpus of the estate would be larger. So the codicils mean that each of the five children would be getting a slightly larger inheritance.

MURDOCH  
I understand Mr. Nolan came to visit you just over a week ago?

BURKE  
He did. On the tenth.

MURDOCH  
Did he discuss changing his will at the time?

BURKE  
He did. He was considering disinheriting one of his sons, Frederick, saying Frederick was impulsive and irresponsible. But as we talked about it, he seemed to reconsider the matter. In the end, he decided not to change his will. (gravely) Thad main concern was that he was dying, and he wanted to be certain that his will was in order. We discussed his situation at some length. He asked me to come and explain his decision to his oldest son, Martin, who was going to be executor, and so I did that. I spoke to Amelia and Frederick at the same time, and informed Frederick that he had not been disinherited. Frederick was so moved by this news that he wept.

MURDOCH  
You did that on the same day as you met with the elder Mr. Nolan?

BURKE  
No. It was two or three days later, I believe.

MURDOCH  
Do you know why he wanted you to explain the matter to his children, rather than him explaining it himself?

BURKE  
Yes. On the tenth, Martin was out of town, and by the time Martin returned, Thad was planning to be in Barrie, Ontario. So I agreed to inform Martin, Amelia, and Frederick. They, of course, informed Ruth and Michael.

MURDOCH  
Mr. Nolan went to Barrie, you say?

BURKE  
Yes. Thad was born in Barrie and wanted to rest in peace there. "I want them to bury me in Barrie," he used to say. He went to Barrie to make funeral and burial arrangements for himself and to say good-bye to some friends there. He came back to Toronto the day he was killed.

MURDOCH  
Can you tell me, Mr. Burke, whether Mr. Nolan may have had any enemies, or if he let you know of any persons who may want to do him harm?

BURKE  
Thad was in a very antagonistic line of work. There are many people who felt cheated by him, who felt taken advantage of by him, who felt betrayed by him. There were a lot of people who swore to get even with him. But Thad told me, "That's just the nature of the business I'm in." He didn't think there were any serious threats against him— but there may have been, and he might have played them down or ignored them.

MURDOCH  
For a start, I'd like to know the names of all those who "swore to get even" with Mr. Nolan, if you know of any.

BURKE  
Oh, I know of a few, but most of them are dead. Thad simply outlasted them. One of Thad's most bitter rivals was Ian Lamarr, and Ian's still alive. But Ian and Thad made peace. (chuckles) You know, when Thad announced his retirement a few years ago, Ian threw Thad a party and invited most of Thad's old rivals. I was at that party, and it was an outstanding affair. There weren't any hard feelings against Thad that I could see. On the contrary, everyone was glad that Thad was getting out of the business, and they all wanted to be his friends, in case they needed to call on him for advice or connections.

MURDOCH  
Hmm. Mr. Burke, would you list for me anyway those who had serious conflicts with Mr. Nolan, even if it seemed that the conflicts ended?

BURKE  
Certainly.

(CUT TO: EXT. STATION HOUSE NUMBER FOUR, mid-afternoon, the same day. CUT TO: INT. STATION HOUSE NUMBER FOUR, Murdoch's office. MURDOCH is behind his desk, studying his notes. CRABTREE knocks on MURDOCH's door. MURDOCH looks up and bids CRABTREE to enter, which CRABTREE does. CRABTREE carries a file folder of some documents.)

CRABTREE  
Is this a bad time, sir?

MURDOCH  
No, it is a good time. I have been investigating whether I might be able to eliminate some suspects as hiring Mr. Dowd, and I have been able to eliminate nearly all of them. All but one. (with no further explanation) Well! What have you, George?

(CRABTREE produces papers from the folder and hands them to MURDOCH as he need them.)

CRABTREE  
On the basis of Mr. Dowd's statements to us, I have successfully traced his movements in Canada. As you may recall, he was carrying papers when he was captured, and those papers identified him as "Cooper." I have confirmed that a Mr. "Cooper" matching his description entered Canada on the seventh of this month.

MURDOCH  
The seventh?

CRABTREE  
I have further confirmed that a man named "Cooper" registered at an inn in Windsor on the seventh and stayed the night. I have further confirmed that the innkeeper remembers this "Cooper" receiving a delivery that had been sent to the inn for him. All of this is in accord with what Mr. Dowd told us. According to Mr. Dowd, the thing received was a key to a drop box where he might find his first payment of two thousand dollars.

MURDOCH  
All right, go on.

CRABTREE  
I have confirmed Mr. Dowd's story, that he had difficulty getting to Toronto due to trouble with the trains and rains that made some of the roads muddy. He was unable to arrive on the ninth as he'd planned, but he arrived in Toronto on the afternoon of the tenth. He proceeded to the Fiduciary Bank, where he used his key and his identification to collect his first payment of two thousand dollars.

MURDOCH  
Was anyone at the Fiduciary Bank able to identify who rented the deposit box?

CRABTREE  
Yes, sir. It was apparently rented by Mr. Baxendale. He was identified by his photograph. The man who rented the box called himself as "Cooper" and authorized access to the deposit box to his "brother." Mr. Dowd, of course, was the "brother," and he was identified as such from his photograph as the man who showed up with the key to the deposit box. After collecting the payment, Mr. Dowd checked into the Prince George Hotel, under the name of "Cooper," on the evening of the tenth. The proprietor of the Prince George confirms this, recalls that Mr. "Cooper" paid for a one week stay in cash, and the proprietor also has made a positive identification of Mr. Dowd from his photograph.

MURDOCH  
It sounds as though Mr. Dowd was being truthful with us.

CRABTREE  
For the most part, yes. As you recall, he told us that he spent a great deal of his down payment on a lavish hotel room and various, uh, "luxuries," and that is why, at his arrest, he had only a few dollars of Canadian currency remaining. Mr. Dowd was unclear with us about those "luxuries" were. The personnel at the hotel told me that he spent a considerable amount of money on liquor and women of ill repute.

MURDOCH  
(shocked) He spent the rest of his money on liquor and prostitutes?

CRABTREE  
He spent a large sum for hotel and for "luxuries," but probably not close to two thousand dollars. It appears one of his, uh, guests may have robbed him of another large sum, or otherwise may have taken advantage of him in his intoxicated state. Hotel personnel said that Mr. Dowd was quite incapacitated with the aftereffects of alcohol the next day, and never left his room the entire day.

MURDOCH  
So the earliest Mr. Dowd could have tried to make an attempt on Mr. Nolan's life would be the— twelfth?

CRABTREE  
Yes, but Mr. Dowd said it took him some time to locate a weapon and to find where Mr. Nolan lived and to assess what he called "the best way to approach him." He planned to "approach" Mr. Nolan the next day, on the thirteenth.

MURDOCH  
And we know that on the thirteenth, Mr. Nolan went to Barrie.

CRABTREE  
Which is consistent with what we were told; Mr. Dowd said he'd watched the Nolan residence for several days, and he noticed Mr. Nolan's return, presumably from Barrie, on the sixteenth.

MURDOCH  
And "approached" him that evening.

CRABTREE  
(gravely) Yes, sir.

MURDOCH  
The next morning, Mr. Dowd went to a prearranged site in a public park, where he expected to find a key and directions saying where to collect the balance of his payment. He found nothing. He concluded he had been double-crossed, and as he was hunted by the police, he tried to stow away in a wagon on its way to Windsor, when he was captured.

CRABTREE  
Yes, sir. (hesitantly) I'm afraid I did not get any leads as to who may have wanted to hire Mr. Dowd. I was not able to trace the source of the money.

MURDOCH  
Actually, George, we have at least one lead. Come on.

(MURDOCH puts on his hat and exits the office with CRABTREE in tow. CUT TO: SHOT OF THE EXT. OF THE MORGUE, later in the day. CUT TO: INT. OF THE MORGUE. OGDEN is getting ready to perform an autopsy, and is suitably dressed for the procedure. OGDEN is noticeably tired, but ready to do her job. On the table is the supine body of a dead man who appears to have been in his twenties, naked except for a towel to preserve modesty. The body's chest is stained with blood and there appears to be at least one gunshot wound in the centre of the chest. OGDEN is examining the body and making some notes. She makes measurements of the location of the wound with respect to body landmarks, and writes notes about the measurements. As OGDEN does this, Dr. Douglas STOKES enters, very professionally dressed. STOKES sees OGDEN and an approaches. STOKES is a fine gentleman throughout the scene.)

STOKES  
Hello, are you the coroner?

(OGDEN is somewhat startled.)

OGDEN  
Yes, I am, sir, but I must ask you leave right away.

STOKES  
I'm terribly sorry. I see you are about to conduct an autopsy of a body?

OGDEN  
Yes, and I must not be interrupted during the process. Besides, sir, most people would find what I am about to do to be most disturbing.

STOKES  
I should tell you that I am a doctor and that I have some experience in these matters. I would find it interesting and educational, not disturbing. My name is Dr. Douglas Stokes, and I am a medical detective from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States.

(STOKES bows politely. OGDEN's jaw drops.)

STOKES  
I pledge to stay out of your way, Doctor— Grace, is it?

OGDEN  
I'm sorry, Dr. Grace is no longer the coroner. I am Dr. Julia Ogden.

(STOKES recognizes the name, and seems mildly surprised.)

STOKES  
My apologies, Dr. Ogden. If you allow me to observe, I will stay out of your way.

OGDEN  
Dr. Stokes, if I may be frank with you, I know why you are in Canada, and I know that you are expected to testify in a criminal trial in which my work will be made an issue.

STOKES  
(slowly) That is true.

OGDEN  
Since you and I are on opposing sides of a pending case, I feel it would be inappropriate for you to be here at this time.

STOKES  
Yes, I understand. But the Pritchard case is not why I am here. I won't say anything about that case, not a word. I am here because I am interested in how post-mortem examinations are conducted in different jurisdictions. Wherever I go in my travels, I like to learn how things are done in different places. I originally wanted to observe Dr. Warden— do you know him?

OGDEN  
Dr. Godfrey Warden of Burlington, yes?

STOKES  
Yes, I wanted to observe how Dr. Warden would handle a post-mortem. He was delighted to offer me the courtesy of watching him work, but he had no examinations for me to observe. I was on my way to Toronto anyway, and Dr. Warden made an inquiry and told me that there would be post-mortem here that I might be able to observe. Dr. Warden told me that the coroner was a Dr. Grace. I was also told there would be an examination of a man who reportedly had hanged himself. (with a shy smile) I was told these things apparently in error, since you are not Dr. Grace, and (indicating the body) this fellow seems to have been shot.

OGDEN  
I completed my work with the man who hanged himself earlier this afternoon. Almost immediately afterward, I was called to the scene of a shooting. This is the victim of that shooting.

STOKES  
Ah. Since I am here, and since the Pritchard or Taylor matter will not be a subject for discussion, I wonder whether I might have opportunity to observe you. (deliberately) Unless you'd rather that I not observe?

(OGDEN is suspicious but polite.)

OGDEN  
Dr. Stokes, you place me in a somewhat awkward position. On the one hand, I do not think you ought to be here because we are opposing witnesses in a pending trial. But neither do I want to have it said (pause) that I had anything to hide.

STOKES  
I understand perfectly. Perhaps after the tri—

(STOKES is interrupted by the entry of HIGGINS, who approaches OGDEN. HIGGINS carries a folded piece of paper. HIGGINS wonders who the well-dressed man is.)

OGDEN  
Constable Henry Higgins, this is Doctor Douglas Stokes.

HIGGINS  
(courteously) Dr. Stokes. (to OGDEN) Dr. Ogden, I have the measurements of the scene that you asked for.

(HIGGINS hands over the paper to OGDEN, who unfolds it. HIGGINS steals a look at the body on the slab, and becomes uncomfortable.)

OGDEN  
(indicating the paper, to HIGGINS) These are the distances, are they?

HIGGINS  
Yes, Doctor. All numbers is in feet and inches, also as you requested.

OGDEN  
(studying the paper) And where is the overturned table ? Oh, here it is. And this shows— very good. Thank you, Henry.

HIGGINS  
You are welcome, Doctor. Good day.

(HIGGINS turns to leave, but OGDEN, still holding the paper, stops him.)

OGDEN  
Henry, I'd like to have you remain here for a short time.

HIGGINS  
(dreading) W-w-while you conduct your post-mortem examination?

(OGDEN sets the paper aside.)

OGDEN  
Yes. I'd like you here as a witness.

HIGGINS  
(very worried) Doctor, I'd rather not—

OGDEN  
Not as a witness to the examination, Henry. No, I'd like to have you present to hear any conversation that Dr. Stokes and I may have. In particular, we have agreed not to discuss anything related to matters involving a man named Pritchard and a man named Taylor. You may stay here with your eyes closed the entire time if you wish, but I'd like to have your ears open. And if a question is ever raised, I want you to be able to testify, TRUTHFULLY, that Dr. Stokes and I never discussed anything involving Pritchard or Taylor.

HIGGINS  
(leery) Pritchard or Taylor.

OGDEN  
Yes. Sit over there, if you like.

(HIGGINS reluctantly goes toward the chair.)

OGDEN  
Now. I have observed the body as it was found, Dr. Stokes—

(HIGGINS sits and turns away from the body so that he doesn't have to watch.)

STOKES  
I beg your pardon. Has the body been photographed?

OGDEN  
Yes, it was photographed at the scene—

STOKES  
Was it photographed in its current condition, on the table?

OGDEN  
Yes. The photographer took photographs and departed shortly before you arrived. He may be summoned if I find anything that I feel must be photographed. (confidentially) Our photographer is a good man, but he is somewhat unnerved by some of the more gruesome aspects of my work.

HIGGINS  
(to himself) He's not the only one.

STOKES  
(laughing politely) I have seen the same thing, many times!

OGDEN  
Anyway. Our victim is Harold Weatherby York, believed to be in his early twenties. Preliminary reports stated that he was shot in a hotel lobby, and that he was shot once with a revolver. It may be asserted that the shooting was in self-defence.

STOKES  
Has the revolver in question been recovered?

OGDEN and HIGGINS  
Yes.

OGDEN  
There is no exit wound on the victim's back. Accordingly, it is likely that the bullet is still in the body, and one of my objectives during this procedure will be to recover that bullet, and trace the path—

STOKES  
(completing the sentence) — the path of the bullet through the tissue, if possible.

OGDEN  
Exactly.

STOKES  
I noticed you have a rendering of the scene?

OGDEN  
Yes, that is a typical procedure in cases like this. Turning now to Mr. York, I have already completed my gross external examination, and recorded my observations, and I am now ready to incise the chest.

STOKES  
With a standard Y-incision?

(Focus on HIGGINS, who listens with dread.)

OGDEN  
Certainly not; the wound here in the chest is a mid-line wound, and I do not wish to disturb it during the first incision. I therefore plan to make an incision well away from the midline, from here to here, like this.

(HIGGINS cringes at the sounds (SFX) of the incision being made.)

OGDEN  
So.

STOKES  
Nicely done.

(HIGGINS is most uncomfortable. FADE OUT.)


	4. Act IV

(FADE IN. ESTABLISHING SHOT OF DOWNTOWN TORONTO, afternoon. CUT TO: EXT. OF A BANK. A closeup of the bank's signage identifies it as the Capital Trust Bank. CUT TO: INT. OF BANK, the office of a bank officer. The bank officer is Leslie GREENROCK, who sits behind a desk. On the opposite side sit MURDOCH and CRABTREE. CRABTREE holds his helmet in his hands, along with a notebook and pencil. MURDOCH holds his hat in his hands, and a folder. GREENROCK holds a document.)

MURDOCH  
And this is the only one?

GREENROCK  
Yes. You specified a particular range of dates, from the third of this month to the thirteenth. This is the only account that falls in that range.

MURDOCH  
That is, this is the only account that was both opened— and closed— in that range of dates.

GREENROCK  
Yes, that is right. Opened on the fourth, closed on the eleventh.

(GREENROCK hands the document to MURDOCH.)

MURDOCH  
(reading the name on the document) "John Cooper." (to GREENROCK) Did you arrange for "Mr. Cooper" to have access to a deposit box?

GREENROCK  
Yes, I did. He sat right in that chair where you're sitting now. He asked also that I allow his brother to have access to that box. I said I would do so, provided he had the proper key and the proper identification.

MURDOCH  
And did you also help "Mr. Cooper" close his account?

GREENROCK  
Yes, I did. He returned his deposit box key to me, after removing the contents of the box, of course. He is no longer considered a customer of ours.

MURDOCH  
Do you recall his appearance clearly, sir?

GREENROCK  
I do. Part of the reason I recall him is because he had the nerve to argue with me about a refund. I explained to him that, though he had paid a fee for one month of service and had used less than a quarter of that, that I was unable to refund any of his fee. He was displeased.

MURDOCH  
(quietly, to CRABTREE) Give me the photograph of Mr. Baxendale.

(CRABTREE pulls the requested photograph from the file and hands it to MURDOCH. MURDOCH hands the photograph to GREENROCK.)

MURDOCH  
Is this Mr. "Cooper," sir?

GREENROCK  
No.

MURDOCH  
Please look again at the picture; I want you to be certain.

GREENROCK  
(firmly) It isn't him. This is not the Mr. Cooper who sat in your chair.

(GREENROCK hands the photograph back to MURDOCH.)

MURDOCH  
Please tell my constable and me what "Mr. Cooper" looked like.

(CUT TO: EXT. GOVERNMENT BUILDING, late/afternoon, early evening. CUT TO: INT. GOVERNMENT BUILDING, Landry's office. LANDRY is at his desk as RECEPTIONIST shows OGDEN in. LANDRY is stern. LANDRY rises and ODGEN, obviously fatigued, heads for a chair that faces the desk. LANDRY thanks RECEPTIONIST with a wave, and RECEPTIONIST exits. OGDEN begins to seat herself just as LANDRY invites her to do so.)

LANDRY  
Please have seat, Dr. Ogden.

OGDEN  
(seated) Thank you.

LANDRY  
Let me make certain I understand what has happened. Dr. Stokes came to visit you?

ODGEN  
Yes. He said he had wanted to observe an autopsy and that Dr. Warden in Burlington had sent him to me.

LANDRY  
You should have contacted me right away!

OGDEN  
I'm sorry, that course of action simply did not occur to me.

LANDRY  
You should have told him to leave! Or did THAT course of action not occur to you as well?

OGDEN  
(calmly) I did ask him to leave, but told me why he was there, and he asked me whether I really wanted him to leave—

(OGDEN takes a moment)

OGDEN  
— And I could not help but think of what you and Mr. Schultz had said, that any action I took to keep information from him would be deemed as me having something to hide. Maybe that wasn't the best decision I could make, but I was tired and under some time constraints; so I asked a constable to listen very carefully to my conversation with Dr. Stokes, so that there would be a witness that there was nothing said about the Pritchard case. (adamantly) And nothing was said about it, by either of us. We talked ONLY about the case of the dead man in front of me, York.

LANDRY  
Whatever Dr. Stokes told you may have been a ruse. Anything he saw you do when you did your evaluation of York, he might use against you in his testimony. He might say that you were sloppy in such-and-such a way with York, so you must have been sloppy in the same way with Pritchard. You may have just given Stokes everything he needs to destroy your reputation!

(OGDEN smiles. LANDRY doesn't know why.)

LANDRY  
May I ask what you find amusing?

OGDEN  
First of all, may I recommend that you telephone Dr. Godfrey Warden in Burlington, to see whether he will verify Dr. Stokes's story, or whether he will say Dr. Stokes's story is a ruse.

LANDRY  
(Making a note) All right—

OGDEN  
And after you've done that, please allow me to telephone my husband, so that I may tell him that I may be a bit late arriving home, as I have a story to tell you.

(LANDRY wonders what is up. He reaches for the telephone on his desk. CUT TO: ESTABLISHING SHOT OF DOWNTOWN TORONTO, next morning. CUT TO: EXT. OF A FINANCIAL INSTITUTION, the National Building Savings and Loan. MURDOCH and CRABTREE walk up to the doors and enter. CUT TO: INT. OF THE FINANCIAL INSTITUTION, office of a manager. Winston WALL sits behind a desk. MURDOCH and CRABTREE sit opposite. WALL is looking at some documents.)

WALL  
These seem to be in order.

(WALL hands the documents toward MURDOCH, but CRABTREE takes them. WALL produces a large ledger and lays it on the desk. He opens the ledger and turns some pages. Satisfied that he has found what he wants to see, he turns the ledger so that MURDOCH can read it.

WALL  
This is the only page you are allowed to view.

MURDOCH  
I understand. (peruses) This is indeed the page I needed to see. Thank you, Mr. Wall.

(CRABTREE looks at the ledger as well.)

MURDOCH  
(to CRABTREE) George, make note of these entries, (indicating) from here to the end.

CRABTREE  
Yes, sir.

(CRABTREE slides the ledger closer to himself, then begins to copy information from the ledger into his notebook.)

WALL  
May I ask what this is about?

MURDOCH  
I'm very sorry, but I cannot give you much information right now. All I can say is that we are investigating a crime in which we believe some large sums of money were involved. And we are trying to follow the money.

WALL  
May I take it that this financial institution is not under suspicion of criminal wrongdoing?

MURDOCH  
At this time, we have no reason to suspect that this financial institution may have participated in any criminal activity in any culpable way.

WALL  
Have you said the same thing to all of the other financial institutions your constables been visiting in the past couple of days?

MURDOCH  
(slowly) I take it that word of our investigation is getting around.

WALL  
Just among those of us in the business of banking and finance.

MURDOCH  
I am not a bank examiner, Mr. Wall. That's all I can say. But I must insist that what is being done here must remain confidential, for the time being.

(WALL nods.)

WALL  
The information you two are looking at, he's one of our long-time customers. Is he in trouble?

MURDOCH  
I'm not at liberty to say.

WALL  
Well, if he is in trouble, and if he asks you whether this financial institution helped the coppers willingly, please be so kind as to tell him that we only did so after you presented us with the proper authorizations and warrants.

MURDOCH  
Of course.

CRABTREE  
Finished, sir.

(MURDOCH compares the notes CRABTREE took to the ledger.)

MURDOCH  
Yes. Yes. Very good, George.

(MURDOCH closes the ledger and slides it back to WALL, who takes it. Everyone rises. MURDOCH and CRABTREE leave. CUT TO: EXT. GOVERNMENT BUILDING, noontime of the same day. CUT TO: INT. GOVERNMENT BUILDING, Landry's office. LANDRY is at his desk, OGDEN and SCHULTZ are seated opposite. LANDRY, though not overtly happy, is in a better mood.)

LANDRY  
Dr. Ogden, thank you once again for coming. I need to bring you up-to-date on what has happened in the Pritchard-Taylor case.

OGDEN  
All right.

LANDRY  
Taylor's lawyer came to see me this morning, in the company of Taylor's father and Dr. Douglas Stokes.

OGDEN  
Oh, my.

LANDRY  
Taylor's lawyer did most of the talking at first. He said that, if I would agree to dismiss the murder charges, young Taylor would agree to plead guilty to a minor charge of extortion.

OGDEN  
Extortion? I was not aware he was charged with that.

LANDRY  
He was not so charged. Taylor's defense, however, was that Pritchard shot himself in response to extortionist threats Taylor had made. Taylor's story, according to the lawyer, is that Taylor threatened to expose Pritchard as— pardon me for saying— a lover of men instead of women; and that Pritchard, who did not want to pay the extortion nor be exposed as a lover of men, chose to take his own life.

OGDEN  
Ah.

LANDRY  
Taylor's story is, of course, supported by no evidence whatsoever, except Taylor's own word. Taylor had to come up with some sort of reason why Pritchard would take his own life, and this was the story he came up with. I told Taylor's lawyer that I believe that story to be fiction, and that Taylor only invented it to try to keep his neck out of the noose. But Taylor's lawyer then moved to his second tactic, saying that your examination, Dr. Ogden, was highly flawed, and that you were wrong in concluding that Pritchard had not shot himself, and that Dr. Stokes would testify to your shortcomings. The lawyer spoke at some length about the doctor's qualifications, as if I did not know them already.

(OGDEN is dreading what is to come.)

LANDRY  
And then the lawyer invited Dr. Stokes to explain to me what errors he had found in your report.

OGDEN  
(nervously) And what did he say?

LANDRY  
(consulting his notes) He said that some of the photographs of Pritchard's body were of less-than-ideal quality, but he did not blame you for that. He said that your report takes note of but fails to explain the presence of a bruise on Pritchard's arm; and that your notes showing placement of the fatal wound were, in his words, "somewhat ambiguous"; and that you should have more clearly stated your reasoning as to why the path of the bullet in Pritchard's body was such that Pritchard could not have fired that shot with his right hand, even though Pritchard's body was found with the pistol in his right hand.

(LANDRY stops. OGDEN thinks there must be more.)

OGDEN  
And—?

LANDRY  
And those were the extent of his criticisms. Basically, he felt your report could have been more clear.

SCHULTZ  
(suppressing a smile) Tell Dr. Ogden what happened next.

(OGDEN listens with fascination.)

LANDRY  
Taylor's lawyer tried to prompt Dr. Stokes to be more critical of your work, but Dr. Stokes would not do so. The lawyer became frustrated.

SCHULTZ  
(amused) Frustrated? The lawyer turned beet red!

LANDRY  
Yes, he got quite heated. (imitating an angry lawyer) "What about this lateral incision?! What about the preservation and chain of custody of the clothing?! What about the such-and-such tests?!" But Dr. Stokes calmly explained that these were comparatively minor matters; and that even though he would have proceeded in a different manner, he did not think that what you did was wrong, nor that it affected the ultimate conclusion. (deliberately) A conclusion with which he had no serious quarrel, he said.

SCHULTZ  
I've never seen anything like it. Stokes wouldn't say what Taylor's lawyer wanted him to say.

LANDRY  
(smiling for the first time) Dr. Ogden, I can virtually guarantee that Dr. Stokes is not going to be a witness in this case. Taylor is going to have to hire a different doctor to criticise your work from the witness stand— assuming he can find one. It is certain that no one having the qualifications of Dr. Stokes is going to testify.

OGDEN  
Well! I— I hardly know what to say!

LANDRY  
As do I. Dr. Stokes must have been extraordinarily impressed by your work in the autopsy he observed.

SCHULTZ  
(to OGDEN) Gord has told me you let Dr. Stokes watch you perform a procedure. I must say that I cringed when I heard this.

LANDRY  
So did I. Dr. Ogden thought that it was not by design or with malicious intent that Dr. Stokes showed up at her morgue, but rather that he had been sent by Dr. Godfrey Warden of Burlington. I spoke to Dr. Warden by telephone, and confirmed that, yes, Dr. Warden had recommended that Dr. Stokes view an autopsy in Toronto to be done by Dr. Emily Grace. Apparently Dr. Warden had not realized that Dr. Grace left the position of coroner some time ago, and Dr. Ogden resumed the post.

SCHULTZ  
So Dr. Stokes showed up as the result of a misunderstanding?

LANDRY  
Apparently so; the meeting was an innocent one. Dr. Warden took the full blame for the mistake.

SCHULTZ  
Things seemed to have turned out all right. May I ask what happened during that autopsy?

OGDEN  
(to LANDRY) May I tell Mr. Schultz? As I understand, the case may still be pending.

LANDRY  
Actually, the man who was arrested is expected to be released, based upon the witness statements and Dr. Ogden's report, and charges will probably be dismissed. It's all right if you give Carl a brief explanation.

OGDEN  
The victim was a Mr. York. He had been shot in his chest. The shooter had surrendered to the Constabulary and had been taken away by the time I arrived on the scene. From an examination of the body at the scene, Mr. York had apparently been shot while standing still. Examination of the wound to the body during autopsy, however, disclosed that Mr. York could not have been standing up straight when he was shot, but rather would have been leaning over, as if lunging at something.

SCHULTZ  
Lunging at the shooter?

LANDRY  
(interrupting) Just to make a long story short: Dr. Ogden found a few more unusual things during her examination, of which she made note; and she reasoned, on the basis of the evidence she found, that York may have acted in an intoxicated fashion. Now, there was no odour of alcohol about the body, and no alcohol at the scene of the shooting, so she thought something else might be at work. What she deduced was that York may have been under the influence of cocaine.

SCHULTZ  
Cocaine?

LANDRY  
Yes. There were certain indications of cocaine. And yet, as cocaine tends to be an injected drug, and since there were no observed injection sites on York's arms or other extremities, Dr. Stokes took issue with Dr. Ogden's hypothesis. He suggested some other ingested substance might be at work. Dr. Ogden said, however, that she felt the circumstances were more consistent with cocaine, and were less consistent with other intoxicating or narcotic substances. She then deduced that, if York had been taking cocaine by needle, and if York's body showed no injection sites, then he may have been injecting himself with cocaine in places on his body that were not easily seen.

SCHULTZ  
Good lord.

LANDRY  
So Dr. Ogden checked between York's toes and do you know what she found? Needle marks! Needle marks that tended to confirm her hypothesis. She invited Dr. Stokes to verify what she'd found. Dr. Stokes verified that at least one mark indicates a recent injection.

SCHULTZ  
(to OGDEN) I take it Dr. Stokes was impressed by this medical investigation?

OGDEN  
Yes, he was. At some points, he questioned whether my reasoning was sound, and I found myself explaining my reasons to him several times. When I showed Dr. Stokes the needle marks between Mr. York's toes, Dr. Stokes was most visibly astonished. He was speechless for a few moments.

LANDRY  
So yes, I think you could say he was probably very impressed. Impressed enough not to speak ill of Dr. Julia Ogden!

(CUT TO: EXT. STATION HOUSE NUMBER FOUR, afternoon. CUT TO: INT. STATION HOUSE NUMBER FOUR, Brackenreid's office. BRACKENREID is at his desk and sees MURDOCH arrive in the office. As BRACKENREID rises, MURDOCH drops off his hat in his office. BRACKENREID calls to MURDOCH.)

BRACKENREID  
Murdoch!

(MURDOCH heads towards Brackenreid's office.)

BRACKENREID  
Any luck?

(MURDOCH enters the office and BRACKENREID closes the office door.)

MURDOCH  
Yes, sir. Mr. Dowd had told us that he expected to pick up a key to his final payment at a public park. I supposed— and I supposed correctly— that the final payment would have stored at the Capital Trust Bank.

BRACKENREID  
Why the Capital Trust Bank?

MURDOCH  
Because that bank is the closest bank to that public park. According to Mr. Dowd, the original plan was to make the final payment available to Mr. Dowd quickly, so that he could collect it quickly and then immediately depart from Toronto. This suggested that the depository for the final payment was near the park. And since the initial two thousand dollar deposit was in a bank, it seemed logical that the final payment would also be in a bank.

BRACKENREID  
And the final payment was to be eight thousand dollars?

MURDOCH  
No, seven thousand dollars. According to Mr. Dowd, one thousand dollars out of the ten thousand dollars was to go to Mr. Baxendale as his fee for making the arrangements.

BRACKENREID  
Oh, that's right.

MURDOCH  
But Mr. Dowd did not get the balance of what was owed him. There was no key waiting for him in the park, no note, no explanation. He was very short on currency, he was on the run for having committed a serious crime, and he'd been double-crossed by the man who'd hired him to commit the crime.

BRACKENREID  
So is the blood money still sitting in a deposit box in the Capital Trust Bank?

MURDOCH  
No. The bank manager confirmed that the man who had rented the box emptied it a few days later, and had the bad manners to demand a refund of some of the box rental fee. And sir, the man who rented the box called himself "Cooper," but he was NOT Mr. Baxendale.

BRACKENREID  
The "money man!" He's the one who rented the deposit box! Not Baxendale!

MURDOCH  
It would seem so. Seeing as how the amount of money stored in the deposit box would be large, it may be that there was a mistrust of Mr. Baxendale, so the man hiring the killer rented the box and put the money in the box himself.

BRACKENREID  
Did the bank manager give you a description of the man who put the money into the box and took it out?

MURDOCH  
He did, sir. And Constable Crabtree has gone off to bring that suspect in for questioning.

(CUT TO: SHOT OF THE EXT. OF THE MORGUE, very late in the afternoon. CUT TO: INT. OF THE MORGUE. OGDEN is working on some paperwork. Dr. STOKES enters.)

STOKES  
Dr. Ogden, I beg your pardon?

OGDEN  
(looking up) Dr. Stokes!

STOKES  
I just wanted to come by and ask whether you had the analysis of York's blood.

OGDEN  
Yes. He tested positive for cocaine.

STOKES  
(impressed) As you suspected. According to the newspapers, there has been confirming witness testimony that Mr. York was behaving erratically and was threatening people before he was shot. That would further tend to support your findings.

OGDEN  
Yes, it would.

STOKES  
I wanted to stop by and thank you for the opportunity to allow me to observe you in your work. And I wanted to tell you that Mr. Taylor has dismissed me as an expert witness on his behalf. I will not be testifying about your report in the coming trial.

OGDEN  
May I ask you something? I was told that you would be very harsh toward my report; and toward me, because I am a woman.

STOKES  
I suppose you heard that from Carlton Schultz, am I right? I saw Mr. Schultz in the prosecutor's office this morning. Well, some explanation may be in order. It is true that I do not think many women would be good doctors. I emphasize, MANY women. I have never held that ALL women would be unfit. Certainly YOU are not unfit! My position has been that it can be exceedingly difficult for a woman to be a physician and be a principal caretaker of a family at the same time. It may interest you to know that I have said the same thing about men, that it is difficult for a man to be a physician and be a principal caretaker of a family at the same time.

OGDEN  
I was told you would find fault with my methods. I was told that you have made a reputation of making coroners look bad in court.

(STOKES laughs a little.)

STOKES  
I can practically hear Schultz saying those words. You know Schultz is a former prosecutor in the States, don't you? He thinks EVERYONE who gets arrested is guilty. Let me ask you, Dr. Ogden: You attended medical school, did you not?

OGDEN  
Of course.

STOKES  
Would it surprise you to learn that some coroners in the United States are not medical doctors?

(OGDEN is somewhat surprised, and she sees where this is going.)

OGDEN  
I have heard that. And I have heard that some coroners have been made serious errors in their analysis of the medical evidence.

STOKES  
Yes. And those are the kinds of cases in which I routinely testify. In one of my most recent cases, a man— a black man, as it happened— was accused of shooting a white man in the forehead with a pistol. The black man had been standing BEHIND the white man at the time, the white man was facing away from the black man. And the coroner, who was not a medical doctor, formally concluded that the black man had reached around (pantomiming) and fired the pistol into the victim's forehead from the front.

OGDEN  
Even though the black man, if he wished to commit murder, could have simply shot the white man in the back of the head.

STOKES  
The coroner was testifying that the accused had made an impossible contortion. So, yes, my testimony was very hard toward this coroner. VERY hard. And the accused was acquitted because of it. I make no apologies.

OGDEN  
Mr. Taylor hired you to be hard toward me.

STOKES  
I expect so. And truth be told, I did see some questionable aspects to your report; but none of those aspects was serious, and I would have so testified if called. Dr. Ogden, I never testify in a particular way because someone pays for my expertise. My testimony is not for sale.

OGDEN  
For my own sake, I'm glad.

STOKES  
So: I wanted to say thank you to you for allowing me to observe you. I must tell you that I was so amazed that you were able to deduce that cocaine might be involved and that the injections might be in locations on the body that others might have missed. Heavens, I might have missed them myself! When you showed me the needle marks between the deceased's toes, well— I can't remember ever being so impressed with a medical investigation. You were brilliant! I don't know one coroner in a hundred that would have been able to figure that out!

OGDEN  
(modestly) Thank you.

STOKES  
Well, goodbye, Dr. Ogden.

OGDEN  
Goodbye, Dr. Stokes.

(STOKES bows and exits. Ogden smiles and returns to her work. FADE OUT.)


	5. Act V

(FADE IN. EXT. STATION HOUSE NUMBER FOUR, same afternoon. CUT TO: INT. STATION HOUSE NUMBER FOUR, Interview Room. BRACKENREID and MURDOCH sit on one side of the table, FREDERICK sits on the other side. MURDOCH has a folder in front of him.)

FREDERICK  
I explained that. I thought I was clear about it.

BRACKENREID  
Well, explain it again.

FREDERICK  
My father threatened to disinherit me. I was angry and I threatened to kill him if he did that. But he DIDN'T disinherit me. And so I had no reason to carry out my threat. I might add that I told you about this threat voluntarily. It's not as though you caught me in a lie or my sister came to you in confidence and said, "Did you know Fred threatened to kill father?" (becoming exasperated) I tried to be honest with you and now I see my honesty being used against me. (adamantly) I had no motive!

MURDOCH  
Now that your father has been murdered, you stand to inherit a substantial amount of wealth.

FREDERICK  
(even more exasperated) I don't understand what you're saying. Are you saying I killed my own father for his money? That my inheritance is my motive? Well, number one, are you going to arrest my brothers and sisters as well, since they get the same amount of inheritance that I do? If I have motive, then surely THEY have motive, too! And number two, what would be the point of me murdering my father to get his money? I have no immediate need for money, I have savings set aside! And number three, why commit murder when father was probably going to die anyway later this year from cancer?!

(MURDOCH extracts a photograph from the folder and shows it to FREDERICK.)

MURDOCH  
Do you know this man, Leo Dowd?

FREDERICK  
(looks at the picture) Never seen him before.

(MURDOCH puts away the photograph and produces a second photograph, which he shows to FREDERICK.)

MURDOCH  
Do you know this man, Philip Baxendale?

FREDERICK  
(barely glancing at the picture) No. Should I?

MURDOCH  
Yes, you should. You gave him three thousand dollars.

FREDERICK  
I did no such thing.

MURDOCH  
You mentioned to me a few moments ago that you have no immediate need for money, because you have savings set aside.

FREDERICK  
That's right; what of it?

MURDOCH  
Your savings are at the National Building Savings and Loan, if I'm not mistaken.

FREDERICK  
So?

MURDOCH  
On the third of this month, one day after your father threatened to disinherit you, you withdrew ten thousand dollars from your account at the National Building Savings and Loan. Isn't that right?

FREDERICK  
I don't know.

BRACKENREID  
The bank manager and the bloody bank records say you did! Are you trying to tell us you forgot that you withdrew ten thousand dollars?!

FREDERICK  
You have no right—

BRACKENREID  
(interrupting) Yes, we bloody well do!

MURDOCH  
The same day you made this withdrawal, Mr. Baxendale deposited two thousand dollars in a box at the Fiduciary Bank, and kept one thousand for himself.

FREDERICK  
I know nothing about anything anyone named Baxendale did.

MURDOCH  
We have the Fiduciary Bank manager's statement Mr. Baxendale rented the box on the fourth of this month and made a deposit in that box. That same manager has attested that the contents of that box were subsequently collected by Leo Dowd on the tenth of the month.

FREDERICK  
Again, I don't know anyone named Dowd, either!

MURDOCH  
You held onto seven thousand dollars, and you received instructions from Mr. Baxendale as to how to handle that seven thousand dollars. We have reason to believe that Mr. Baxendale warned in quite grave terms that you not withhold payment of that seven thousand dollars.

FREDERICK  
I told you, I don't know any Baxendale.

MURDOCH  
The same day as you made your sizable withdrawal, you rented a deposit box at the Capital Trust Bank, and put seven thousand dollars in that box.

FREDERICK  
I don't know what you're talking about.

MURDOCH  
The bank manager can identify you as a man who called himself "Cooper." The same bank manager can attest that you terminated your lease of the deposit box on the eleventh, five days before your father's death, and withdrew the contents of the box. And the records of the National Building Savings and Loan show that you deposited seven thousand dollars in your savings account that very day, the eleventh.

BRACKENREID  
Some coincidence, eh? You withdraw ten thousand, and re-deposit seven thousand. In between your withdrawal and your deposit, a murderer hired to kill your father and his assistant get paid three thousand dollars. That adds up, doesn't it? You take out ten thousand, and put back seven thousand, and you're short three thousand. Now, if your three thousand dollars DIDN'T go toward hiring a murderer, then pray tell, what did you buy with that money, eh?

FREDERICK  
(angry) I did not pay to murder my own father! As I have explained and explained, I had no reason to have anyone murder my father!

MURDOCH  
Yes, you did. You hired Leo Dowd to kill your father, and you wanted him to commit the act BEFORE your father disinherited you. That was the plan. Killing your father AFTER he'd disinherited you would not return your inheritance to you. (pause) But something went wrong. Leo Dowd arrived in Toronto too late to prevent your father from meeting with his solicitor. You subsequently found out, first of all, that your father had not been murdered as planned. You also found out that you had not been disinherited. I suspect, Mr. Nolan, that you believed that Mr. Baxendale had double-crossed you, and had cheated you out of three thousand dollars; and so you resolved to recover the remaining seven thousand dollars from the deposit box at the Capital Trust Bank.

FREDERICK  
You have no proof. Your suspicions are not proof, I know that much.

MURDOCH  
Mr Nolan: You knew that there was a hired killer out there who was going to kill your father.

FREDERICK  
(horrified) No!

MURDOCH  
You did nothing to stop the murder, or to warn your father.

FREDERICK  
No!

MURDOCH  
Mr. Dowd never got paid the balance of what he was owed, did he? In addition to the bankers I've already mentioned who have helped us identify where various money has gone, Mr. Dowd has given us his testimony as well. Would it surprise you to learn, Mr. Nolan, that Mr. Dowd was most unhappy about not being paid for the services you hired him to perform, in part because your withholding of payment led to his capture by the constabulary?

FREDERICK  
(shaky) I have no idea whether Mr. Dowd is happy or not.

BRACKENREID  
You can ask him yourself. Chances are you'll get to meet him in prison at Kingston.

FREDERICK  
(frightened) What? What?

(FREDERICK is pale and very shaky. BRACKENREID glares at FREDERICK. CUT TO: TORONTO STREET, evening. CUT TO: INT. MURDOCH HOME. MURDOCH and OGDEN are having a late supper.)

OGDEN  
So Frederick Nolan eventually confessed?

MURDOCH  
Yes. He offered to confess in exchange for a pledge that he would not be incarcerated in the same prison as Mr. Dowd. We promised to urge life imprisonment for Mr. Dowd if he assisted us, and he did. I'd say Mr. Nolan is likely to get life imprisonment as well, and avoid the noose, because of extenuating circumstances.

OGDEN  
Extenuating circumstances?

MURDOCH  
Frederick Nolan wanted his father to be murdered before his father had a chance to meet with the solicitor and disinherit Frederick. But the elder Mr. Nolan was not murdered "on time," as it were; so Frederick thought there would be no murder at all. Rather, he thought that he had been cheated and that no killer had actually been hired. He was quite surprised to learn that Leo Dowd subsequently did carry out the murder that Frederick had hired him to commit.

OGDEN  
A very odd case.

MURDOCH  
Yes. Now! You said you had some news about this Dr. Stokes, that he was not going to be a witness against you?

OGDEN  
Correct. Taylor's lawyer discharged him.

MURDOCH  
Well, how did that come about?

OGDEN  
Dr. Stokes determined that I was not incompetent at all. I think that one of the deciding factors was that he was very impressed by my autopsy of Harold Weatherby York.

MURDOCH  
Harold Weatherby York. That name sounds familiar. Wasn't he a patient of yours?

OGDEN  
Not a patient of mine, no.

MURDOCH  
But wasn't he one of those odd fellows who got some treatment at the insane asylum where you worked?

OGDEN  
Um, yes.

MURDOCH  
I think I remember you telling me about him; wasn't he the one who used to inject cocaine between his toes?

OGDEN  
(smiling subtly) Yes, that's the one.

(FADE OUT.)

THE END

(AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story was written prior to, and is in no way based upon, the notorious Sherman murder in Toronto in late 2017; which case involves a brutal murder of a rich family member, a volunteered admission of a motive by another family member, and tales of a killer for hire who once engaged could not be stopped. -DH)

(FURTHER AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is at least the second story I've written that has turned out to be somewhat prophetic. See also "Nightmares of the Juror," published 30 April 2016. -DH)


End file.
